Not about dogs, but anyone raw feed a ferret before

This is a dedicated place for all of your questions and answers about Raw Diets. There are also some really cool groups like "Raw Fed" on the topic you can join. This forum is for people who already know they like the raw diet or sincerely want to learn more. Please remember that you are receiving advice from peers and not professionals. If you have specific health-related questions about your dog's diet, please contact your vet!

I am interested in possibly starting raw for my ferret, but am not sure if it is the same for ferrets as it is for dogs. Is the 2-3% of body weight right for a ferret too? Should they have the 80-10-10 ratio as well? What kind of prey item can they eat? Mice, rats? Any links anyone has to websites explaining things more in depth would be greatly appreciated. Or anyone who has tips and has done this for their ferrets please chime in!

I have 4 ferrets which are raw fed. Whole prey that I have fed include mice, rats, rabbits (pinkies and 1 pound or smaller furred babies), fetal goat, piglets, squirrel, quail and small chickens that have been partially plucked. I have also fed meat from deer, cow, beaver, ground hog, goat, pig, lamb/mutton, fish, rabbit and possibly some other things which I cannot think of.

Most people feed a diet heavier in bone and feed as much as the ferrets will eat.

I used to be a ferret raw feeding mentor but no longer have the time or patience for it. Here is the website though
http://holisticferret60.proboards.com/index.cgi?

I second checking out the Holistic Ferret Forum. Really great people and info there. Ferrets that have eaten kibble their whole lives can be difficult to switch to raw, more like switching a cat than most dogs. The HFF members have a ton of experience switching fuzzies and can help you out a lot in that regard.

I feed mine whole prey mice, rats, chicks, rabbit, quail, and guinea pig, mostly because it takes basically no effort to balance, but prey model can work as well. Ferrets will generally self regulate so I've never worried about amount, I let them eat as much as they want.

Thanks for the advice guys! That forum does have a lot of great info, I'll look more in depth today as it was late last night by the time I had a chance to check it out. Feeding rats, mice, etc sounds so easy! I have 2 snakes so I always have them available anyway. Where do you get the quail and chicks from? Online?

You can get them online but I raised my own quail for a while. It is very easy as well. I have fed chicks too Those came from farmers locally. When they had any die I got them. I also got ducklings that way.

I even fed the ferrets any partially developed quail and duck eggs that ended up dying in my incubator before they hatched.

Come to think of it I may have even tried to feed them snake. It was a baby rat snake that someone killed because they thought it was a rattle snake

Ferrets can and will really eat just about anything. When friends butcher chickens that save me the heads, feet and innards. I always pick out the organs and gizzards for the ferrets.

It is fun watching them with small rabbits or other things close to their size. Crazy to think that something so small has all that power

Ah I didn't think about hare today. Shipping is what kills me on that though. They are crazy strong for being so little! I'll have to see if I can make some connections with anyone who has feeders in town I guess. As far as getting them to eat it, did you guys have a hard time?

My crew isn't currently 100% litter trained so I don't keep bedding in all the pans. I just have a "nest" box with fabric in them.

Something that has worked in the past prior to my rescue of a horribly abused girl (the one who isn't totally box trained) was getting woven floor mats at the dollar store. That way you can shake it out outside and get all the little pieces of bone, fur and feathers off and wash when needed. The mats can be placed over your normal bedding or in a specific place where they prefer to eat, such as a corner.